The present invention relates to a weather strip and specifically to a process for manufacturing the same. More particularly, the invention relates to an irregularly shaped weather strip or a weather strip which includes a plurality of sections having different cross-sectional configurations and process for manufacturing the same.
A body of an automobile is provided with a weather strip along a door opening. The weather strip may seal a clearance formed between the door and the body when the door is closed so that entry of raindrops and the like is effectively prevented.
As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the conventional weather strip W' includes a sealing portion Ws' and an engagement portion Wa'. The weather strip W' is integrally formed and has a uniform cross-sectional configuration. The weather strip W' is arranged along a front pillar P' (FIG. 20) and a roof panel R' (FIG. 21) of an automobile body 4'.
The sealing portion Ws' of the weather strip W' has a groove 53 extending longitudinally therealong. Therefore, a gutter G' is formed along the front pillar P' and the roof panel R' when the weather strip W' is mounted on the automobile body 4'. The gutter G' may lead rainwater from the roof panel R' to effectively prevent the rainwater from flowing toward a side window.
However, the gutter G' extending along the front pillar P' may cause increase resistance of the air and increased sound emission therefrom during travel of the automobile.
In order to solve these problems resulting from the gutter G' extending along the front pillar P', a more recent weather strip W" includes a first section W"1 to be positioned along a front pillar P" of an automobile body 4" and a second section W"2 to be positioned along a roof panel R" of the body 4", as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23. The first section W"1 includes a first engagement portion Wa1" and a first sealing portion Ws1". The second section W"2 includes a second engagement portion Wa2" and a second sealing portion Ws2". As will be observed from FIGS. 22 and 23, the cross-sectional configuration of the first sealing portion Ws1" is different from that of the second sealing portion Ws2". As shown therein, only the second sealing portion Ws2" of the second section W"2 has a groove 153 extending longitudinally therealong. Therefore, when the weather strip W" is mounted on the automobile body 4", a gutter G" is formed along the roof panel R" whereas no gutter is formed along the front pillar P".
Such an irregularly shaped weather strip W" is manufactured by a process which comprises the steps of separately molding the sections W"1, W"2 by an extrusion procedure and subsequently bonding the sections W"1, W"2 at the ends thereof.
However, the irregularly shaped weather strip W" manufactured by the process exhibits undesirable awkward appearance because of a joining portion formed thereon.
Further, such a process includes a large number of steps since the sections W"1, W"2 are separately formed, thereby causing increased working time and labor cost.
Some improved weather strips and processes for manufacturing the same are found, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publications Nos. 62-121030 and 1-242225, and Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 1-154947. Each of the weather strips is an irregularly shaped weather strip which exhibits good appearance because of the absence of a joining portion. Further, each of the processes may permit continuous manufacture of the irregularly shaped weather strip. Therefore, these weather strips and the processes may to some extent solve the above-described problems.
However, in each of the weather strips, the cross-sectional configuration of one section does not greatly differ from that of the other section. Also, each of the processes does not permit formation of a weather strip including two sections of which the cross-sectional configurations are greatly different from each other.